A YuGiOh! Fanfiction: Shattered Existance
by Obscene.Prayer
Summary: What would happen to Seto Kaiba if he lost a duel to Joey Wheeler? A fic I entered in the 2005 Fan Fiction Contest for Anime North. I didn't win. I want you to critique! I'll be adding a bonus 'final scene' in the future.


**A Yu-Gi-Oh! Fanfiction: Shattered Existence**

**Maureen Hiebert**

* * *

Seto's throat tightened. His eyes were wide, two marbles of perfect white, dipped in the coldest of blues. His thoughts were a blur- a mass of things he couldn't make out. In hopes of steadying himself upon his weakened legs, he held a tight grasp to either side of his dueling area; his posture hunched as a sensation of nausea overwhelmed him. Kaiba's attention was turned abruptly from the dissipating holograms of the playing field to the arrangement of the cards before him. His eyes followed the trail of scattered cards, the cards that remained of his hand before inspecting the seemingly perfectly placed cards before him. 

The cards… they had been played exactly as they had been meant to be. His strategy had been the absolute invincibility of Duel Monsters. Though even perfection, or so it seemed, had its flaws. Perfection had failed. A single loophole Seto had overlooked had been found in that turn which gifted him only in defeat. In that single turn, his opponent had managed to draw the one card that would help him, the one and only card very possibly in all of Duel Monsters that could fit within the tiny crack which could obliterate even his perfection.

Why didn't his strategy work? How did the great Seto Kaiba lose? He, second only to who was considered the best duelist in the world? Now the third… Out of all the people in Tokyo, in Japan, in Asia- in the World…

Why did he have to lose to _him_?

Seto's gaze rose only slightly, but enough for him to watch as his opponent's dueling platform lower with a glare that could very well turn hell to a barren wasteland of ice. He watched the boy across from him in silence, as his chest puffed out in petty pride, as he ordered the praise of his 'cheerleaders' in a sarcastic tone. The words of cheer that followed were simply another thing that seemed to obscure the brunet's attention to his thoughts. He gave his head a sharp shake to clear his mind before turning his eyes back to boy who had defeated him only to turn away yet again as he met the auburn gaze of a youthful blonde.

Joey Wheeler.

He couldn't stand to see the look of satisfaction on the mutt's face, that dopey grin. Completely ignoring Joey's presumed insulting comment; Kaiba muttered a number of well-chosen curses as he pressed a button, beginning the slow decent of his own dueling platform. Under trembling fingertips he arranged his cards to a neatly stacked pile before him, a slight shiver under his breath. With a soft 'thud' the platform touched ground, the pathetic words of adoration of the nerds still reverberating off the walls of the expansive room- settling in his already throbbing mind. Before turning slowly to exit his platform, Seto placed his deck carefully in a tiny red-silk bag.

Upon turning he halted dead in his tracks, what colour that was left draining from his pale face as he met the gaze of another being; the hurt, confused gaze a little raven-haired boy. It was Mokuba, his brother. The boy's eyes were glazed with unshed tears, blinking several times to hold them back. Mokuba didn't say a word, but the expression on his face said it all, asking Seto the exact same question he had posed upon himself. Why?

Seto let a deep, almost quivering breath filter through his system before shifting his shoulders back, chin raised only slightly as he took a step forward to remove himself from the platform. For that split second as his foot set place, everything went black. As things came back into focus Kaiba found himself stumbling to the ground, his knee making contact to the cement flooring sharply, sending a smart pain through his entire body. He shuttered violently, eyes wide as he stared blankly at the ground, patterns of discoloured blotches obscuring his vision.

"Big brother!" He heard Mokuba cry, the boy's arms clasping around his shoulders in attempt of both physical and mental support. Seto allowed a deep sigh to pass his lips as his state seemed to resettle, wincing slightly at his brother's muffled sobs into his shoulder. He didn't move, not for that moment. Instead he allowed Mokuba to stay where he was, allowed himself to be comforted. His eyes slid shut before slowly but surely rising to his feet, Mokuba's hands clasped in his. Kaiba's eyes reopened, connecting with the little boy's gaze as his lips parted, as if preparing to speak.

"Hey, Kaiba!"

Seto's lips replaced their positions with an unshakable movement, his hands slipped quickly from Mokuba's and with a whirl of his white trench he turned to meet the gaze of Joey, a stone hard look of pure hatred masking the lurching ache he felt inside.

"What do you want, Wheeler?" He growled in a flat tone, tilting his head forward slightly to darken his look. Joey's look of pride only caused the dragon's fangs to clamp in place tightly, a faint pain coursing through his jaw.

"That was a great duel, man." The dog said with a growing smile, "If I didn't know any better, I would have thought it was pure _luck_ that I beat you!" Joey held his hand out before him, in a sign of respect. Seto let out a low snarl, his blue eyes flashing as his scowl deepened. Wheeler _actually_ expected for him to return the action? What a pathetic fool… He would _never_ respect that… mutt!

"Proves that you don't know any better, then," He scoffed, nose rising slightly to the air in his arrogance, "Because it _was_ just luck… just pure- dumb- _luck_." Joey stood for a second, rooted to the spot with a look of shock claiming his face- the look that coiled a tiny smirk across Seto's lips.

"Yeah, that's right!" Mokuba retorted defensively, fists clenched and held in the air as if it was necessary to fight them off. Yet Seto moved his arm before his brother, an action that told the younger boy to keep out of this. It was successful as the boy backed off a pace, arms lowered almost grudgingly. Luck, yes… It was all just luck. That was the only way the mutt could have _ever_ beaten him was by luck. Sure it was a definite _overwhelming_ luck to draw that card when he did, but still… It just _had_ to be luck! …Right? It was then that Joey's 'cheerleaders' arrived, forming a crowd behind the blonde. Téa Gardner, Tristan Taylor, Duke Devlin, and of course as always, their 'leader'…

"Kaiba, don't you get it?" Yugi asked, taking a step forward with a look of pure innocence wrapping his features. Seto miffed, staring down at the short, tri-haired coloured boy as he continued, "It's not luck! Duel Monsters is all about the Duelist's skill and their belief in the Heart-"

"The Heart of the Cards! I _know_!" Kaiba roared with a furious flash of his eyes. His words echoed of the walls, the room falling into a dead silence, "You can't actually still believe that these cards- these little pieces of cardboard actually have a _heart_!" The group before him just stood there, each staring at him with a look each to their own, perhaps even terrified. Yes… he had successfully pressed on these few what he could to any who he came across- intimidation.

"Wheeler…" Seto growled with a familiar tone of warning, eyes turning sharply to meet the teen's gaze, "Next time, not even your 'Heart of the Cards'- your luck- will be able to save you from me." His head snapped in the direction of the exit and with a familiar whirl of his trench coat, he started off with a rather quickened pace. With the light tapping of Mokuba's footsteps following in his wake, Kaiba's mind continued to throb, his heart jerking painfully in his chest. To luck or not, it still hurt to lose. Defeat, to fail… every time, it killed him a little more.

* * *

Pausing in the long strides of his steps, Seto took a wistful glance over his shoulder to regard the darkness of the long, barren hallway. The nervous beating of his heart seemed to still as relief claimed him for its own- no one had followed. It had been several hours since his humiliating defeat to luck, and the nausea brought on by the mere thought of it still sickened him. He'd told Mokuba to return home, to go continue about his day… to not worry about him. 

The CEO turned his attention back to the solid doorway before him, accompanied by a tiny panel that listed the numbers from zero to nine in keys and a screen made to fit the activating password. Kaiba lifted his arm, bringing his wristwatch to his line of sight to read the glowing numbers displayed to him.

"Noon…" He grumbled darkly, dropping the limb effortlessly back to his side. He had so much to do, but he just couldn't… Nothing mattered, he didn't care.

Seto brought his hand to the keys, pressing them in combination with a single flawless motion. Thought the screen merely read five star-like symbols as the 'Enter' button was pressed, the numbering represented by the figures was accepted with several beeps and a faint whizzing of mechanical locks. The door slid to the side with a hiss, revealing to the teen his underground 'lair'. The overhead lights flickered to life with a low humming, the three monstrous screens of his computer greeting him with a brilliant display of blue that filtered through the room with its dull light.

"_Good afternoon, Seto Kaiba._" The computer welcomed in a feminine voice, echoing with its mechanical origin as his desktop took its rightful place on the screens before him. Seto didn't reply, instead he dropped back into his chair, the chair that was placed in such a way that granted him easy access to every asset of his system. No, he didn't return his acknowledgement to the machine… the computer was only functioning according to its programming- greet and comply with his commands. Nothing more, nothing less… The CEO let out a sigh as he leaned into the depths of his seat, tilting his head back only slightly as his unfocused gaze met the ceiling. With trembling fingers he ran his hand through his hair, pausing midway in action as his eyes slid shut- as his consciousness slowly began to slip away…

"_Is there anything you'd like me to do, Mr. Kaiba?_" In response to the computer's request, a single of the dragon's eyes reopened to peer with little care at the screen.

"… Yes, activate the surveillance system. Display sector 'Front Gate A'." Seto replied drowsily, and with a '_blip_' from the speakers his orders were executed. A window appeared on the screen to his left, taking up a generous portion of the area with the still image of the decorative gate, traced with high-tech security. The picture was of high quality, but at a definite lack of saturation.

"_Anything else, sir?_" The system queried. The teen's hand slid down the features of his face, his second eye following the action of the first in the process. His attention strayed through the partings of his fingers. There was… something…

"… Access Duelist Battle City records." He said, a slight quiver still haunting his speech. Seto watched in silence as a program opened, loading in only a matter of seconds to reveal a list of names, listed by the last in alphabetical order. The name was of course accompanied by the first yet separated with a comma. A bar of a nearly white hue to contrast with the indigo background highlighted the first name.

"_Duelist's name?_" The computer asked, waiting for its command. The CEO hesitated, his hand continuing its course down his face to replace itself at his side as he leaned forward.

"Wheeler, Joseph." He stated firmly, and the bar began to whiz down the list of hundreds of names. The speed the bar seemed hypnotizing, and Seto watched it… and watched it… A window appeared on the screen as a particular name was highlighted. The teen was taken by surprise by the sudden action as he jerked back, as if pulled from a trance. There, before him, was the entire dueling history of Joey Wheeler during his tournament. This information was not only kept on the blonde Duelist, but on every duelist who participated in Battle City… and it was right under his fingertips.

Seto hesitated, unsure what he would do next. Slowly he ran his tongue against the teeth that barred it to its prison, eyes narrowed to aid in his attempt to focus. Nothing, but… Maybe, just maybe, he'd counted something wrong? That he'd made a mistake, that maybe his calculations had been off. He raised his hands to the extensive keyboard and began to type, searching. He searched for anything that he could have missed, anything at all. The CEO's heart lurched within his chest, making his stomach tighten.

"There has to be something…" He muttered under his breath, what little of his voice heard positively dripping with his desperation, "Come _on_! Anything! … Please…" The horrible gut-wrenching feeling he had when his defeat in the duel had been at hand returned all at once as he reached the bottom of the records. He hadn't missed anything… he was sure. Every character of type, every pixel of videos that had been in the mutt's file had been carefully scanned. Absolutely nothing had been looked over. His calculations had been correct before. Though Joey's chances of beating him had been minimal at best…

It seemed even minimal could sometimes prove to be enough…

"_Wow, whose place is _that" Seto's body jerked, his attention snapping in direction of the computer window, the one that displayed the front gate security camera's view. There before his manor were two teens; one male the other- the one who'd spoken- was female, both dressed in well-kept school uniforms. It was growing on twelve thirty… They must have been returning home from summer school, or so the CEO mused while studying both their figures carefully. For the first time that day, he was distracted from the unfortunate incident concerning the mutt.

"_Duh, it's the Kaiba House!_" They boy responded in a matter-of-factly, a tone that could still be distinguished through the distortion the computer presented. The young man's comment allowed Kaiba to be consoled within a slight spark of pride, the spark he so desperately needed at that point in time.

"_Oooh… so this is where Seto Kaiba lives?_" The girl asked, tilting her head in curiosity, "_Wow, the second best duelist in the World…_" Seto cringed as the cold, hard truth came back all at once, like being hit hard in the face with a bag of bricks.

"_Don't you know anything, woman?_" The boy sneered with the slightest of sarcasm, his eyes narrowed, "_Seto Kaiba lost a duel to Joey Wheeler this morning. He's placed in _third_ now!_"

"Third…" Seto repeated slowly, the word like poison to him. A poison he could almost taste as it passed his lips. He hadn't even said 'third best duelist', it was just third… only third. This didn't mean much to many, but deeper down this simple change in wording could mean much more, and disturbed the brunet greatly.

"_Whaaat? Are you serious?_" The girl yelped, gawking at her companion, "_How do you know these things?_" The boy simply smirked, rubbing a single index finger across his nose.

"_Oh, you know… just the grape vine…_" He replied. The girl nodded, averting her attention back to the massive house.

"_Doesn't Kaiba hate Joey? To lose to him must have sucked… poor guy…_" She stated wistfully. Seto gnawed at the inside of his lip as he inspected the uncomfortable silence before him. It took several moments before either teen spoke again, "_Say, isn't that game shop near here? The one Yugi's grandfather owns?_"

"_Hey, yeah! Want to go check it out? The place where the World Champions started out… Heck, we might even get to meet 'em!_" The boy replied, his awe practically melting from his words. The two exchanged a final conversation under the security camera's ever-watchful gaze before heading off, but the CEO paid no attention to this. His mental anguish was becoming unbearable. Such a short time the teens had spent for his pity, they didn't care. He was only third, after all…

Slowly Seto leaned forward in his chair, reaching into a small hidden compartment. His fingertips brushed against the prize of his search, the cool, smooth touch of a glass bottle that held a foul liquid, but it was adequate for this situation.

He may have been underage to drink as he did, but it didn't seem to bother the people who'd sold it to him, he thought, slouching into the chair's grasp before taking a swig from the bottle. He winced as the vile taste filled his mouth, all they'd cared about was the money.

The brunet was companied only with silence, the nearly drained bottle in hand as he mourned what seemed the end of a legacy- the legacy of Seto Kaiba.

* * *

To be updated, but please R&R! 


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